The utility of drug checking services as monitoring tools and more: A response to Pirona et al.

Giné, Claudio Vidal; Vilamala, Mireia Ventura; Measham, Fiona; Brunt, Tibor M.; Bücheli, Alexander; Paulos, Carlos; Valente, Helena; Martins, Daniel; Libois, Bérénice; Tögel-Lins, Karsten; Jones, Guy P.; Karden, Alexandra; Barratt, Monica J.

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.018

Cited by 41 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the evidence base to date is promising, there has been relatively little research to assess the effectiveness of drug checking services [56]. In practice, this bolsters arguments against the widespread adoption of harm reduction strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of public opinion and politics on attitudes towards pill testing: Results from the 2019 Australian Election Study

McAllister

Makkai

2020

Drug and Alcohol Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction and Aims Following several deaths due to drug overdoses at music festivals in Australia, pill testing (or drug checking) has been proposed as a means of reducing the risk to young people. However, pill testing is a politically controversial policy in Australia. This paper examines the political dimension to the debate, its relationship with other social issues and how it divides party supporters. Design and Methods The data come from the 2019 Australian Election Study survey—a large (n = 2179), nationally weighted representative probability survey conducted immediately after the federal election. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to identify the social groups, attitudes and vote preferences most associated with public views about pill testing. Results Almost two‐thirds of the public support pill testing at music festivals. The young and those who do not attend church are most likely to express support. Supporters of other liberal social opinions, such as the legalisation of marijuana, are also strongly supportive of pill testing. Those who vote for one of the two main conservative parties are less likely to support pill testing. Discussion and Conclusions While a majority of the public support pill testing, beyond the Australian Capital Territory this has not translated into policy in other jurisdictions. The results show that there is a high level of political polarisation surrounding opinions among both voters and political elites. This issue must be addressed if the policy is to be advanced as part of an overall harm reduction approach to drug use.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of public opinion and politics on attitudes towards pill testing: Results from the 2019 Australian Election Study

McAllister

Makkai

2020

Drug and Alcohol Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our previous study has also demonstrated the use of NPS among individuals in treatment [ 37 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot was to support individuals to make informed decisions about their drug use, reduce drug related harms and assist with the monitoring of drug trends and communication of drug alerts as found by other researchers in this field [ 6 , 38 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piloting the UK’s First Home-Office-Licensed Pharmacist-Led Drug Checking Service at a Community Substance Misuse Service

Guirguis

Gittins²,

Schifano

2020

Behavioral Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

(1) Introduction: Drug-related deaths in the UK are at concerning high levels. The unknown content and purity of illicit substances can cause unpredictable adverse effects and thus a public health risk with no sign of abating. On-site drug checking is a public health strategy that has previously been implemented, predominantly in festival settings, but without Home Office licensing. (2) Aims: The aim of this study was to pilot the UK’s first pharmacist-led, Home Office-licensed community drug checking service. (3) Methods: A bespoke protocol incorporating legally, professionally and ethically binding documents was implemented. This free, confidential service ran between February and March 2019, was available to anyone over 18 who were purposefully recruited, gave informed consent and agreed to relinquish their drug sample. Samples were checked on-site within an established Substance Misuse Service (SMS) using a handheld Raman spectrometer to determine likely drug content and adulterants. In parallel, participants completed a questionnaire about their substance use and the drug sample(s) being tested. A pharmacist-led multidisciplinary approach was adopted to discuss the analytical findings. Informed by the results of the analysis and the questionnaire, people who used the service received tailored harm reduction advice. (4) Results and Discussion: The pilot operated for a total of four days over four weeks. Eleven people visited and relinquished a total of thirteen samples. Half of the participants had previously overdosed and were known to the SMS. Seventy per cent were male, all were White British individuals, 30% were employed and two people disclosed visiting from another nearby town. Samples included what was thought to be heroin, synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, benzodiazepines and LSD and none required activation of the “alerts cascade” process. Most participants drank alcohol regularly and the concomitant use of traditional illicit drugs and prescribed medication (including opioids, anxiolytics and antidepressants) with sedating profiles was common. Given some of the ethical decisions and interpretation of the results, specialist pharmacist involvement was deemed essential. (5) Conclusions: This pilot demonstrated the proof-of-concept that a pharmacist-led Home Office-licensed drug checking service can be successfully implemented in community SMSs.

show abstract

Section: Drug Safety Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drug safety testing (drug checking) is a public health service whereby service users receive test results for a substance of concern submitted for forensic analysis as part of a harm reduction consultation. [12][13][14] Testing of submitted samples may be conducted onsite in rapid realtime as part of an integrated testing service, or elsewhere by a partner laboratory. Whilst these services vary widely in terms of types of consultations, forensic analyses, staffing, funding, waiting times, whether community or event-based, static or mobile, permanent or temporary, and whether the testing service is integrated or split into individual components, their shared core aim is harm reduction and their shared core service characteristic is direct user engagement.…”

Section: Drug Safety Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

City checking: Piloting the UK's first community‐based drug safety testing (drug checking) service in 2 city centres

Measham

2020

Brit J Clinical Pharma

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims To explore the feasibility of delivering community‐based drug safety testing (drug checking), to trial service design characteristics and to compare with festival‐based testing. Methods In total, 171 substances of concern were submitted on 5 dates at 3 venues in 2 UK cities and tested using up to 6 analytical techniques. Test results and harm reduction advice were distributed directly to over 200 service users through 144 tailored healthcare consultations, to stakeholders, and through early warning systems, media and social media alerts. Results The 171 samples were submitted and identified as MDMA (43.3%), cocaine (12.9%), ketamine (12.9%), various psychedelics submitted by students, and heroin and a synthetic cannabinoid submitted by rough sleeping communities, with 76% of samples' test results as expected. The 144 primary service users identified as 91.7% white, 68.1% male, with an average age of 26.7 years. Reported harm reduction intentions included alerting friends and acquaintances (37.5%), being more careful mixing that substance (35.4%), lowered dosage (27.8%), disposal of further substances (6.9%) and additionally 2.8% handed over further substances for verified destruction. Conclusion Community‐based drug safety testing (drug checking) was piloted for the first time in the UK—within a drugs service, a community centre and a church—with consideration given to meso‐level operational feasibility and micro‐level behavioural outcomes. Service design characteristics such as venue, day of week, prior publicity, service provider, and direct and indirect dissemination of results all may impact on outcomes. Future studies should consider cost–benefit analyses of community and event‐based testing and context‐appropriate macro, meso and micro‐level evaluations.

show abstract

The utility of drug checking services as monitoring tools and more: A response to Pirona et al.

Cited by 41 publications

References 11 publications

The effect of public opinion and politics on attitudes towards pill testing: Results from the 2019 Australian Election Study

The effect of public opinion and politics on attitudes towards pill testing: Results from the 2019 Australian Election Study

Piloting the UK’s First Home-Office-Licensed Pharmacist-Led Drug Checking Service at a Community Substance Misuse Service

City checking: Piloting the UK's first community‐based drug safety testing (drug checking) service in 2 city centres

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About